Aid it, paper, aid it, type, Aid it, for the hour is ripe, And our earnest must not slacken Men of thought, and men of action, Lo! a cloud's about to vanish And a brazen wrong to crumble Lo! the right's about to conquer— With that right shall many more With the giant wrong, shall fall That for ages, long have held us For their prey. Men of thought, and men of action, Clear the way! CHARLES MACKAY. Are you going to be a man of thought and action? How can you tell? What things are necessary to make you one? Why? What kind of men and women do the most good in the world? BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston in 1706. He was one of seventeen children. His father was the owner of a small soap and candle factory. As Benjamin disliked working in the factory, he was apprenticed to his brother James to learn the printer's trade. He was very fond of reading and writing and occupied all his spare moments in studying. He soon began writing short articles for his brother's newspaper. These attracted marked attention, but he was afraid to own that he wrote them. James was a hard taskmaster. On this account Benjamin ran away from him. When Benjamin was nineteen years old he set out on foot toward Philadelphia to try to make his own way in the world. Everything that Franklin did was done well, and as he was temperate, industrious, and saving, he soon began to accumulate property. After overcoming many very serious difficulties, he established himself in Philadelphia as a most successful publisher, printer, and editor. He was a very thoughtful man and had the public welfare deeply at heart; so it is no surprise that he rose to be one of the leading men of his city, state, and the colonies. He was a member of the Continental Congress and helped draft the Declaration of Independence. Franklin took a very active part on behalf of the colonies in the war of the Revolution. He was sent to France where, by his dignified bearing, the simplicity of his life, and his deep insight into men and the affairs of nations, he gained universal esteem and secured the aid of the French government in the American cause. It was Franklin's thoughtfulness which gave to us the free public library. In his day but few books were published. They were very expensive. He planned a system of loaning books so that everybody might have the use of them. To-day nearly every city in the world has a free public library. "Poor Richard" was the name he signed to his writings. "Poor Richard's Almanac,” written in his own quaint way, full of good advice to the struggling families in the colonies, was in nearly every home. It contained many such sayings as: "Early to bed, early to rise, make a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. "One to-day is worth two to-morrows. "Constant dropping wears away stones. "A small leak will sink a great ship. "God helps them that help themselves. "Plow deep while sluggards sleep, and you shall have corn to sell and to keep." Franklin was noted for his love of science. He liked to find the reason for things, thus he made a great many discoveries. The most famous of all was his discovery that lightning and electricity are the same. One day, during a thunder shower, he went out into the fields where, by flying a kite, he drew down from the clouds sparks of lightning which proved to be the same as electricity. At the age of eighty he assisted in framing the Constitution of the United States. Franklin's life was full of usefulness. He was a very modest man, but at the time of his death he was more highly honored by the world than any other American except Washington. What was the secret of Franklin's success? Describe his service to science. How did he make the almanac useful? What were his greatest acts in behalf of his country? Do you think poverty hinders men from becoming learned or highly honored? €ŏl' o nies dig' ni fied sim pliç' I ty WHERE SHALL WE WALK? Where the pools are bright and deep, Where the blackbird sings the latest, Where the mowers mow the cleanest, |